Associate Director – Crisis Management, Business Continuity, Health, Safety & Governance (UAE National)

Overview

Aldar Education is seeking a UAE National to fill the role of Associate Director focused on Crisis Management, Business Continuity, Health, Safety, and Governance. This position offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to a leading educational group in Abu Dhabi by ensuring safe operations, operational resilience, and compliance across all schools and corporate sectors.

About Aldar Education

As Abu Dhabi’s foremost education provider, Aldar Education offers inclusive and novel learning environments from early childhood to adult education. Starting in 2007 with one school and 250 students, the group has expanded to 28 schools, serving over 38,000 students from 100+ nationalities and supporting nearly 5,000 educators.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and continuously enhance an enterprise-wide framework for crisis management including activation, escalation, and stand-down protocols.
• Coordinate crisis response across departments during incidents to ensure rapid and effective action.
• Develop and maintain business continuity strategies to guarantee operational readiness and minimize disruption over 24, 48, and 72-hour recovery periods.
• Oversee implementation of health, safety, and occupational health standards consistently across all Aldar entities.
• Establish governance and operational risk management frameworks including regular risk assessments, mitigation strategies, and controls.
• Ensure compliance with UAE regulatory bodies such as ADEK, KHDA, and Civil Defence, including audit preparedness and reporting duties.
• Design and conduct crisis simulations, training, and awareness programs to embed a culture of preparedness and safety within leadership and staff teams.
• Develop enterprise-wide policies, manage decision logs, escalation protocols, and conduct incident investigations with timely resolution.
• Collaborate with various departments (Operations, Education, HR, IT) to integrate risk management and safety into everyday operations.
• Provide expert counsel to executive leadership on risk exposure, crisis management strategies, and organizational resilience.
• Align all frameworks with Aldar Group standards and established international best practices.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in fields such as Risk Management, Engineering, Health & Safety, Business, or related disciplines.
• Professional certifications preferred: NEBOSH Diploma, IOSH, ISO, Risk or Business Continuity Management certifications.
• 10 to 15+ years of experience in crisis management, business continuity, risk management, or health and safety sectors.
• Proven capabilities in establishing enterprise governance and compliance frameworks within complex, multi-site organizations, ideally in education or similar industries.
• In-depth knowledge of UAE regulatory compliance requirements.
• Capable of performing effectively under pressure and leading crisis situations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication at the executive level.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

What Aldar Education Offers

Aldar Education is a pioneering, child-centric group educating over 25,000 students through owned and managed institutions. The group provides attractive salary packages including medical benefits, housing allowance, flights, and free school placements for children. Emphasis is placed on continuous professional development, coaching, and training opportunities within a supportive and forward-thinking environment.

Additional Information

This position is open exclusively to UAE Nationals, reflecting national development priorities. Aldar Education supports diversity and inclusivity and requires all staff to share commitment to safeguarding children and young people. Appointment is conditional upon satisfactory background checks and references. Aldar Education reserves the right to modify the job description as necessary.